Thank You Cards for Christmas Gifts

Carrying the thought of the best gift ever given- God's Son, I wanted
to send thank you cards to family & friends for the thoughtful
gifts they gave during Christmas!

 

The nativity image and phrase is cut from the new Cricut Lite Cartridge: 

Inspired Heart, which is a religious cartridge that I know I will get a lot of use from.

Let me encourage you to hold onto the love and kindness that we
share at Christmas and make it a point to keep this alive in your
heart every day. Give thanks to God for sending His Son and
find ways to give encouragement to others in the New Year!

Bible Verse a Day Flip Book

I am very blessed to be a Pastor's wife and the daughter of a Preacher also.  

God's Word is very important to us, so when I thought of making a gift for my Dad,
I wanted to make something with the Scriptures.

 

This is a flip book with a verse a day.  I used the large 4 x 6 index cards

(You could actually cut multiple pieces of paper,

but for $1 you can't beat 100 sheets of the same size ready to go!)

 

I kept the embellishments to a minimum, since I wanted the 

Scriptures to be the focal point and it was going to my Dad, 

who I knew wouldn't like all the frills that we women do.

Side view - By using the Bind-it-All I added a piece of index card

to the bottom for stability of the stand and heavier chipboard to each

side for the pages to flip to and from.  The 1" O Wire was used and

holes were punched in the middle of the pages/chipboard.

 

View from underside.

I first learned how to make a stand using the Bind-it-All from the following blog:

http://www.making-mini-scrapbooks.com/Bind-It-All-Calendar.html

She gives step by step instructions on how to bind the book together.

This same technique was used on this Bible Verse a Day Flip Book

As my son used to say when he was small, "The possibilities are endless!"

Go make something beautiful and useful! 

There's nothing more useful than God's Word in our daily lives!

2011 Vintage Calendar

Using an 8 x 8 stack of vintage patterned cardstock and parchment cardstock
I made this calendar for the upcoming year as a gift for family. 

It is my prayer that each of you will have a blessed New Year!  No matter our circumstances, we can see God's blessings in our lives and others who have it so much worse than we do. 
Thank God for the blessings coming in 2011!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I saw the idea to pleat paper for the bottom of the apron

from a Papercrafts magazine.  Such a darling look!

 

The Country Life Cricut cartridge has a clothesline

in it, but since I don't have that cartridge, I made my own

using clothes from the paper dolls cartridges.

Winter Frolic cartridge used along with

lot's of stickles

 

I apologize for the shabby pictures, but I was

snapping them right before shipping this to family.

 

 

 

The Bind-it-All was used to compile this calendar.

I used a simple calendar and publishing program to

print the size needed for calendar. 

Scor-tape was used to adhere pages together and

various Cricut cartridges & embellishments were used.

I held each page up like the calendar was hanging since it was bulky and 

punched a hole at the top using the last page as a template.

Such a fun project and much easier with the 8 x 8 cardstock stack.

Try one...you'll love it!

Christmas Is

Love - God sent His Son, Jesus to be born

Joy - Jesus brought hope of forgiveness and a way to have a relationship with God

Peace - God has always been in control and has a plan for our lives

Patience - Simeon & Anna had to wait years to see God's plan, Jesus, the Messiah

Kindness - Jesus lived a life as a servant showing compassion on others, pointing them to God

Goodness - Jesus did no wrong/sin and was the only person who could make the payment of our sin. Because God is holy & perfect and we are not, we needed Jesus who was like a bridge giving us a way to have a relationship with a holy perfect God. 

Faithfulness - God is faithful to forgive us if we ask Him and we can accept His gift of salvation from sin through Jesus

Gentleness - Even when Jesus was dying on the cross, He was gentle and kind to those around him.  He asked God to forgive them because they didn't know what they were doing

Self  Control - God gives each of us a choice.  We choose for ourselves

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus, God's Son, but our choice is what we do with this baby in the manger.  Do we leave him there and only remember Him at Christmas?  To truly understand Christmas we must understand Who Jesus was, Why He came and What we do with Him in our lives.

We must ADMIT to God we have done wrong/sin

• Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
• Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death" (separation from God and everlasting punishment in Hell).

We must BELIEVE that Jesus was God's Son, died for our sins and came back to life.  

• 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
• Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
• John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

We must CONFESS our wrong/sin to God and ask Him for forgiveness.  Ask Jesus to be in our lives and accept this FREE gift of salvation from eternal separation from God in Hell.

• Romans 10:13 “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
• John 3:18 “He who believes in Him (Jesus) is not condemned.”

If we accept this gift, it will be the best gift we've ever received.  Only God can give forgiveness, peace and eternal life in Heaven.  As you receive gifts this Christmas, if you haven't received Christ, there is still one gift waiting to be opened.  

Receive the first & best Christmas gift, Jesus Christ!  Merry Christmas!

Winter Greeting Card

 

After winning the Christmas Cards Cricut cartridge,

I wanted to immediately begin and make something for Winter.

This card came together so easy with this cartridge.

 

The card was cut at 5" and all pieces were proportioned to size,

so all I had to do was set Cricut at 5" and it took care of the rest!
The White background, embellishments and people in sleigh are on
glitter cardstock, but it is difficult to see in the picture.

Following Items were Die Cuts with a View:

White Glitter Cardstock

Ivory Glitter Cardstock

Dark Green Cardstock

Dark Brown Cardstock

Card was made from simple white cardstock

Happy Crafting!  Winter is a great time to be creative!

 

The Day the Bat Went to Church

Most Wednesday night prayer meetings go without very much excitement in our Church.  Everyone is happy to sit down and relax after a long day at work and enjoy a Bible study to help re-focus our thoughts and attitudes and allow God to give us direction for our lives.  We spend time in prayer for each person listed on our prayer list and give updates on their conditions.  Prayers are given for our military and those who are shut-in's and unable to attend Church.

Tonight proved to be another relaxing evening until one unsuspecting eye caught something in the corner of our large ornate stained glass window.  After prayer requests were given the elderly gentlemen said, "what's that in the corner of the window?"  In unison the entire congregation turned to look to the left side of the sanctuary to the top of the window and said, "It's a bat!"  Laughter began and whisperings of how  a bat could get in here ensued.  The following comment was who is going to get it out of here?  Immediately the not me comments began to fly from all areas of the congregation.  After someone mentioned the bat wasn't moving, my favorite comment came when someone said, "Well, looks like the Pastor has put it to sleep!"  My husband is the Pastor! 

We regained our composure and continued our study in Matthew on compassion.  In the back of our minds was the uninvited visitor.  In the corner of our eyes, we all watched to make sure this thing didn't move!  Without any fanfare, after Church a brave soul got a telescoping pole and hoisted it up to the bat and the smart little thing latched on to the pole and took an uneventful ride out of the sanctuary to the big beautiful world outside.  

P.S.  All night I kept thinking of the song, The Mississippi Squirrel Revival...the day the squirrel went berserk in the Church.  This was the day the bat went to Church!!!

The Princess and the Snow

 

This is Fluffy and she is definitely a princess in her mind.  

During our recent flood of snowfall, we tried to get Fluffy to go outside 

with our Son, who was taking out the garbage.  Fluffy usually quietly waits by the 

back door when someone is leaving to hear the words she longs for...

"Fluffy, want to go outside?"  

Upon hearing those words, she flies out the door and ready to begin an adventure.  

Fluffy heard the magic words this time and flew to the door, 

but stopped as soon as she could see the snow and smell the cold air.  

We coaxed and coaxed, but our little princess would not budge.  

Although she will not put her delicate little paws in the snow most of the time...

she loves to eat the snow that falls from our shoes when we come in the house.  

How crazy is that?  

A princess who eats snow from shoes but won't walk in snow!!!  

What a dog!

Blog Hop Candy Winner

I enjoyed visiting paper crafting blogs during All that Glitters Blog Hop recently and was thrilled to find out that I won this Cricut Christmas Cards Solution Cartridge. 
Thank you so much Sherri!  

You may visit Love, Laughter & Creations, by Sherri at http://sherrisllc.blogspot.com/

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Monogrammed Card Sets for Friends and Family

 

Began with 4 different designs for cards.

Used scraps and chose paper and card stock for design sets.

All of the cards were not exactly the same, but groups of them were the same.

Cut all of the patterned paper strips to correct size for each design, 

working on one design at a time.

Used the Cricut Storybook cartridge and cut mats for the monogram

and letters.  Last step was to build the monogram mats...

next to glue patterned paper down and finally glue the monogram and ribbon to card.

It's a simple process and goes fairly quickly when working one design 

at a time and cutting multiples for sets.  

These can be wonderful and useful gifts.

Dimensions: 

Card Sizes:  4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

1st Card on Left

Patterned paper 3 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Scalloped circle 2 1/2"

Circle 2"

Letters 1 3/4"

2nd Card on Right

Paper  2" x 4 1/4"

Scallop  2 1/4"

Circle  2"

Letters  1 3/4"

3rd Card bottom left

Paper 2" x 5 1/2"

Scallop 2 1/2"

Square 2"

Letters 1 3/4"

4th Card bottom right

Paper 1 1/2" x 5 1/2"

Scallop 2 3/4"

Letters 1 3/4"

Small Memo Holders

When thinking of an idea for some small gifts for groups of ladies at my Church, I remembered making some memo holders with brown tag board and covering with patterned paper and embellishments.

Since I was out of Scor-tape and don't live close to a craft store I began re-working this idea.  They say Necessity if the Mother of all Inventions...  Well, it actually helped make this gift process much easier!

 

Memo Holders for Gifts

Begin with 8x8 patterned cardstock

Measure and cut at 5 1/2".  Then cut the larger section in half. 

This leaves a 2 1/2" strip which you will also cut in half.  

Will make 2 pieces of 4x5 1/2" cardstock bases

and 2 pieces of 2 1/2 x 4" bases.  That's 2 large holders and 2 small holders!

For larger holders:  add post-it notes or

cut large index cards in half.

For smaller holders:  cut post-it notes in half which is 1 1/2" or 

cut large index cards in half then in half again.  This makes 4 blocks 2" each.

Add a colorful clip, which I found 12 pieces for a dollar at my local Dollar Tree.

Add some embellishments and ribbon at the top for a cute memo holder.

A magnet could be added to the back to be used on the refrigerator.

This is a great way to use leftover stickers, pieces of ribbon, etc.

and allow you to make lot's of these for ladies groups, etc. 

with just a bit of little supplies and it creates a fun small gift!

Christmas Cards

Christmas is my favorite time of the year because of celebrating the birth of Christ.

I love sending Christmas cards and since I began making cards about a year ago 

I wanted to make my own Christmas cards this year.

  

Since I send around 90-100, I wanted to use basic white cardstock and 

another color that I could buy easily in bulk. 

There is detail on Jesus and manger and
the reds do match, but the camera didn't pick it  up.

It is a simple card with the focus on baby Jesus.

Card Recipe

Embossing:  Cuttlebug Snowflake folder

White Medallion:  Cricut Storybook 3"

Red Inner Medalltion:  Cricut Storybook 2 1/2"

Manger:  Winter Frolic 2"

Baby Jesus & Star:  Winter Frolic 1 3/4"

Ribbon:  Adhered to red cardstock to show better

Acrylic Jewel added to Star 

Merry Christmas!

Blog Candy Contest

Cabio's Craft Corner is having a blog candy contest. 
Beautiful things and a very generous giver!  Thanks for the chance to win!


Happy Crafting Everyone!

A Frontier Christmas

Old Washington, Kentucky begins Winter
with a Frontier Christmas and the first snowfall of the season.

 

 

 

The old Post Office is still operational.

 

A demonstrator shows how to spin wool.

 

Live music with dulcimer's, fiddles, banjos and guitars.

 

Strolling down the snow covered lane playing the bagpipes. 

It certainly set the mood for a Christmas of old.

 

Historical homes remind us of those who came before us.

 

Albert Sydney Johnston wooden bust

 

Historical ledgers from Civil War ear.

Live music in the old Church.

  

Today I experienced a frontier Christmas and became mesmerized by the way they lived and celebrated long ago.  A stroll down cobblestone paths took me back in history to a simple time.  May the traditions we hold today pave the way for those in the future to look back and see that we honored God, loved family and celebrated the birth of Christ in simple ways that stood the test of time leaving a lasting legacy.

Top 10 Thankful List

Thanksgiving is sometimes called the forgotten holiday.  There is so much anticipation leading up to Christmas that we can hurry past Thanksgiving to other festivities.  If we were to construct a top 10 thankful list what would we include?  It's humbling to think about the most precious gifts in life that we are thankful for.  Most of us would not list our car, 3 story house or our jewelry, but the things that mean the most to us, which impact our lives greatly. 

Let me encourage you to make Thanksgiving season last a little longer before jumping into Christmas preparations and make a top 10 list of the things/people you are most thankful for.  Carry this spirit of thanksgiving into your Christmas season.

Top 10 Thankful List

1.  God loving me and wanting a relationship with me. 

2.  Jesus' death on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for my wrong doings, making a way to know a holy God.

3.  The gift of forgiveness and salvation when I accepted Jesus in my heart.

4.  Allowing me to find a wonderful Godly husband to serve God alongside and share my life with.

5.  A precious Son who makes life full of joy and excitement.

6.  Loving family & friends who help me to be a better person by simply being with them.

7.  Directing me to the right Doctors to help my body to function through my illness.

8.  God constantly working in my life...continually pursing a relationship with me.  He never gives up on me.

9.  Life itself.

10.Bright spots along the day that make even the hardest days more pleasant & bearable.  Encouragement.

What are you thankful for?

Tired and Worn Out?

Life has a way of wearing us out.  I can't remember who, but I heard someone say that Life is What Happens When We are Making Other Plans.  Things can get so crazy very fast.  Here's a little story to brighten your day.  When my Son was around 3 years old he became frustrated very easily.  If you've been around any 2-3 year old's you can understand.  

One day he was sitting up his toy animals on the large picture window sill.  Since the animals are cheap plastic, they don't always sit up perfectly.  Well, my son didn't understand this.  When an animal would topple over, he would pick it back up and tell it to stay.  This worked until the animal decided to fall again.  Time and again he sit them back up and demanded them to stay.  When they repeatedly fell, he became at the end of his rope.  I heard him loud and clear say, "That's it.  I've had it!  This is ridiculous!" and all the animals hit the floor. 

Of course in a 3 yr. old language ridiculous came out hilarious and I couldn't hold back the laughter.  Aren't there days that we as adults feel like we've had it.  Have you had situations in your life where you can't make it work and time and again you try and still it just falls apart.  Often I have felt like screaming...that's it I've had it, because life can be down right ridiculous sometimes.  Don't you agree? 

Let me share some encouragement for those days.  "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."  Philippians 4:13.  When we've had it...God can help us.  When we see a ridiculous situation, He came make all things right.  When we are ready to throw in the towel, He can pick up the towel and minister to us like He did His disciples.  When we are ready to give up, we simply need to look up! 

Beautiful Autumn

Thought for the Day:  Autumn Leaves- God Doesn't

 

 

As Autumn leaves and Winter begins we see the changing of the seasons

and can be reminded that although change happens in our lives,
there is one who never changes and never leaves us. 

God is always working in our lives and wants us to turn to Him

and allow Him to guide us.  He never leaves us!